Admission of International Students
- Admission process
- Applicant lists and results of competitive selection process
- Procedures for recognising foreign educational documents
- Events (such as presentations, olympiads, competitions, online courses)
- Programmes taught in foreign languages
can be found on the Admissions Committee website
Detailed information on:
Contact us for admissions enquiries
Migration Registration
All foreign citizens arriving in St. Petersburg are required to complete a migration registration process. This can be done in two ways depending on your living arrangements - whether you’re staying in a hall of residence or in an apartment, hostel, or hotel.
If you're planning to live somewhere other than the University hall of residence, such as a hotel or rented apartment, the property owner or hostel/hotel administration will handle your migration registration.
Don’t forget to promptly inform the Department for Migration and Registration Affairs (former Passport and Visa Department) about your arrival in Russia (via email at pvo@spbu.ru) and send a copy of your migration card. Once you’ve completed all other necessary documents (private address migration registration, voluntary medical insurance policy), immediately send their copies to the Department for Migration and Registration Affairs.
Remember, migration registration must be carried out by the owner of the residential premises where you actually live and only through authorised organisations (Department of Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, Multifunctional Public Services Centres, the 'Gosuslugi' (State Services) portal). Registration through third-party organisations is illegal.
Don’t forget to promptly inform the Department for Migration and Registration Affairs (former Passport and Visa Department) about your arrival in Russia (via email at pvo@spbu.ru) and send a copy of your migration card. Once you’ve completed all other necessary documents (private address migration registration, voluntary medical insurance policy), immediately send their copies to the Department for Migration and Registration Affairs.
Remember, migration registration must be carried out by the owner of the residential premises where you actually live and only through authorised organisations (Department of Migration Affairs of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, Multifunctional Public Services Centres, the 'Gosuslugi' (State Services) portal). Registration through third-party organisations is illegal.
Apartment / hotel / hostel
Hall of residence
Important
- Within two days of crossing the border, notify the Department for Migration and Registration Affairs (former Passport and Visa Department) via email at pvo@spbu.ru and the academic affairs office of your arrival
- Register for migration on time
- Obtain a voluntary medical insurance policy (VMI) and send a copy to the Department for Migration and Registration Affairs (via email at pvo@spbu.ru) and the academic affairs office
- Submit documents for extending your stay or visa no later than 20 business days before the expiration of the current term
- Inform the Department for Migration and Registration Affairs (via email at pvo@spbu.ru) and the academic affairs office about any changes in details (documents, contacts)
If you're residing in a University Hall of Residence, please visit the Department for Migration and Registration Affairs no later than three business days after your arrival. You’ll need to provide the following documents:
- Tenancy agreement
- Passport, along with a copy that includes all stamps
- Migration card (if available) and its copy
Department for Migration and Registration Affairs
Room 102, 7−9b Universitetskaya Emb. (Rector's Wing), St Petersburg, Tel. +7 (812) 363-64-03
Room 103, Hall of residence No. 10, Building 2, 66 Botanicheskaya Street, Peterhof, Tel. +7 (812) 363-64-07
Medical Services for International Students
All foreign citizens arriving to study at St. Petersburg State University must have:
- A valid voluntary medical insurance policy (as required by Federal Law No. 115-FZ of July 25, 2002, article 5, clause 5.1)
- Additional medical documents required for dormitory check-in, including a fluorography certificate
- Annual preventive medical examination, including specialist consultations (physician, ophthalmologist, otolaryngologist, surgeon, cardiologist, neurologist, gynecologist/urologist), clinical and biochemical blood tests, HIV test (form F-50), syphilis test, hepatitis blood tests, chest X-ray or fluorography, ECG (if necessary, EchoCG and ultrasound)
- Consultation with an infectious diseases’ specialist upon enrolment to the educational institution
- Outpatient and polyclinic diagnostic and treatment care, primary health care, and specialised outpatient consultative care (therapy, neurology, surgery, ophthalmology, gynecology, urology, otolaryngology, infectious diseases)
- Home doctor visits
- Inpatient care — emergency hospitalization in city hospitals
- In the case of severe pathology or life-threatening injury, repatriation to your home country at the insurance company’s expense
If your insurance plan does not include the services listed above, these medical treatments will be provided on a fee-paying basis.
When purchasing voluntary medical insurance policies, please note that the insurance program should include the following provisions:
International Students Club and Buddy Programme
The Buddy programme helps international students to adjust to a new life in Russia. A student volunteer (buddy) will meet you at the airport, help you settle into your accommodation, show you around the city and campus, assist with paperwork and tell you about cultural events at the University. For international students, it is an opportunity to find support and make new friends; for volunteers, it is a chance to gain intercultural experience and practise their language skills.
If you require consultation or assistance, simply send your request to our club's email (sovetkio@spbu.ru) or message us on our VKontakte group.
This club is specially designed for you, our international students at SPbU. Here, you can find the information you need about your stay at the University and in Russia.
The club’s staff is dedicated to understanding and meeting your needs, participating in the development of measures to enhance your stay, and offering consultations and help whenever needed.
The club’s staff is dedicated to understanding and meeting your needs, participating in the development of measures to enhance your stay, and offering consultations and help whenever needed.
Any student is welcome to contribute questions to our meeting agenda, attend meetings, propose ideas, and even become an organiser or participant in events.
Our student exchange program is available to students from SPbU partner universities who plan to spend one or two semesters at SPbU. Tuition is waived under bilateral cooperation agreements.
Please note: Recommended arrival dates are no earlier than 25 August for the autumn term and 1 February for the spring term.
We recommend purchasing return tickets only once the exact examination dates have been announced. These are usually published two weeks before the examination period begins.
We recommend purchasing return tickets only once the exact examination dates have been announced. These are usually published two weeks before the examination period begins.
- Courses in your chosen field at the relevant faculty (minimum 8 ECTS credits per term).
- Courses at the relevant faculty combined with Russian language classes. The Russian course adds 8 contact hours per week (8 ECTS credits per term).
- Full-time Russian language course (20 contact hours per week, 30 ECTS credits per term).
Important! Students may take elective courses only if they hold a language certificate at B2 level or above.
Exception: students taking the full Russian language course are not required to have prior knowledge of Russian.
Study options for exchange students
Study Dates for Exchange Students
- Autumn term: 1 September — 31 January
- Spring term: 10 February — 30 June
Who can meet me at the airport?
Will I be provided with accommodation?
Do I need health insurance?
Student Exchange Programme
Yes. All international students are required to have health insurance for the entire period of their studies. You can purchase a policy either in your home country or in Russia. The policy must be in Russian or English and valid in Russia, and must cover outpatient treatment, emergency care and repatriation.
Yes. Accommodation at St. Petersburg State University is guaranteed for all exchange students and will be reserved automatically. No separate application for accommodation is required.
If you would like someone to meet you at the airport or railway station, please register for the Buddy Programme in advance. Your faculty coordinator will send you the registration form before the start of your studies. Once you have registered, you will receive the contact details of your buddy volunteer, an SPbU student who will assist you with translation and questions you may have and meet you upon arrival.
Invitations Letters to Enter the Russian Federation
For obtaining an entry invitation to the Russian Federation, international students should contact their respective academic affairs office according to their study programme or submit a request through the Student’s Personal Account. First-year international applicants should apply to the SPbU International Admissions Office.
Students applying for exchange programmes must complete the registration form.
For all matters related to the preparation of documents required for entry into the Russian Federation, please contact the International Academic Сooperation Department.
For all matters related to the preparation of documents required for entry into the Russian Federation, please contact the International Academic Сooperation Department.
If a foreign citizen intends to apply for a Russian visa in a country other than their home country, they are required to provide a copy of their residency permit in the country where a student is applying for the visa along with the original notarised translation of the presented document. The document must be valid until the end of the period required for the Russian visa issuance process.
RuID App
You can log into the ruID app using your Gosuslugi username and password. If you don’t yet have a Gosuslugi account, you can register during your first login to the app or in advance via the Gosuslugi portal.
- submit an application to enter Russia;
- use services for foreign nationals (for example, book an appointment with the Ministry of Internal Affairs or obtain medical insurance), and also check whether you are in the register of controlled persons;
- receive service notifications in your personal account;
- present a QR-code generated in the app after border crossing and verify your Gosuslugi account. When required, it must be presented together with your identity document.
From 30 June 2025 to 30 June 2026, an experimental entry/exit procedure will be implemented at all Russian border checkpoints. Its objective is to establish a digital profile for every foreign national entering the country.
The ruID application is mandatory for all foreign citizens and stateless persons entering Russia under visa-free regime.
The ruID application is mandatory for all foreign citizens and stateless persons entering Russia under visa-free regime.
Please note
- If a foreign national does not enter Russia within 90 days, the procedure must be repeated by submitting a new application.
- For children aged 6 to 18, the application must be submitted by their legal representatives.
- No QR code will be issued if the foreign national is subject to an entry ban to Russia.
- Following categories of foreigners do not need to obtain a QR code:
- Citizens of the Republic of Belarus;
- Foreign nationals holding a temporary residence permit (TRP), temporary residence permit for education (TRPE), permanent residence permit (PRP), or valid Russian visa;
- Diplomats and their family members;
- Employees of accredited international organisations and their representative offices in Russia.
RuID app allows you to
What to Do Before Your Trip?
- Download the ruID app (available on App Store, Google Play, RuStore, and AppGallery).
- Register in the Unified Identification and Authentication System (ESIA) via the app, providing your passport details and individual insurance account number — SNILS (if you don’t have a SNILS, it will be generated automatically). After registration, you will have an ESIA account, which must be verified upon arrival in Russia.
- Upload a photo and biometrics (facial scan) in the app.
- At least 72 hours before your trip, submit an online entry application (valid for 90 days) and receive a QR code.
Step-by-Step Procedure
- Biometric data registered in the Unified Biometric System (UBS), which can be submitted at a bank
- The device’s IMEI number (obtained by dialling *#06# and pressing the call button; the code displayed on-screen is the IMEI. If the smartphone supports dual SIM cards, two codes will appear)
Prepare the Required Documents and Information
- A valid identity document
- A notarised translation of the foreign national’s passport
- SNILS (Russian Individual Insurance Account Number)
- The email address registered on the 'Gosuslugi' portal
- A verified 'Gosuslugi' account
Procedure for Obtaining a SIM Card
Visit a mobile operator’s office and present the required documents. Please note that if more than 10 SIM cards have already been registered to your name, your request for a new SIM will be denied.
Verify your identity by biometric authentication. This can be done either at the mobile operator’s office or through the 'Gosuslugi' portal.
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To buy a SIM card, foreign nationals and stateless persons will need a verified account on the 'Gosuslugi' (State Services) portal as well as biometric data registered at a bank.
A SIM card can only be issued in person. Additionally, in Russia you must be at least 14 years old to sign a mobile service contract.
A SIM card can only be issued in person. Additionally, in Russia you must be at least 14 years old to sign a mobile service contract.
